34°04′10″N118°16′35″W / 34.069545°N 118.276368°W /34.069545; -118.276368
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | 1946; 80 years ago (1946) in Los Angeles,California, United States |
| Founder | Thomas James "Tommy" Koulax |
| Headquarters | Monrovia, California |
Number of locations | 32[1](29 California, 3 Nevada)[a] (2021) |
Area served | California, Nevada |
Key people | Dawna Bernal (President) |
| Products | hamburgers,hot dogs,tamales,chili,french fries,soft drinks |
| Revenue |  US$62 million (2021[4]) |
Number of employees | 5,000 (2021) |
| Website | originaltommys |
Original Tommy's, previously known asOriginal Tommy's World Famous Hamburgers, is afast foodhamburgerrestaurant chain in theLos Angeles metropolitan area. It is known for itshamburgers andchili burgers.[5]
The original location was opened on May 15, 1946, by Tom Koulax[6][7] (October 26, 1918 - May 28, 1992), the son ofGreek immigrants, on the northeast corner ofBeverly and Rampart boulevards west ofdowntown Los Angeles.[8] The stand, which still exists today, soldhamburgers andhot dogs topped with chili. Initially, the business was slow but it soon started to pick up. During the 1960s, the entire lot at the intersection was purchased. Soon after, the northwest corner was acquired for expanded parking and storage of goods. Not long after that, a second service counter occupying the building at the perimeter of the northeast lot was set up.[9]
Tommy's began to expand in the 1970s, and grew to 30 locations by 2006.[10] Most Original Tommy's restaurants are found in theGreater Los Angeles Area. In recent years several locations have closed. The Santa Monica location was closed on April 20, 2014, when the landlord refused to renew the lease[11][12] and leased the location toStarbucks instead.[13]
In 2008, the company expanded for the first time outside of California by opening two locations inClark County, Nevada.[14] A third Nevada location was opened in 2013.[15][16][17]
As of March 2023, there are 32 locations. The company is based inMonrovia, California, after years of being inGlendale, California, and is run by the late Mr. Koulax's family.
The restaurant's success in the Los Angeles market has attracted many imitators. A 2019 study byThe Los Angeles Times listed 67 restaurants, more than double the number of Original Tommy's restaurants, in the Los Angeles region with some form of the name "Thomas" in the name along with similarity in the signage and menu. Bob Auerbach, a stepson of the restaurant's founder, Tom Koulax, said that the family made a conscious decision not to pursue legal action against the imitators.[2]
